Category: meeting

Sharing the following email from two parents who are involved in the Lincoln Redesign:

As you are aware, last week we learned that there is a major budget shortfall in the 2017 bond. The Board will be holding work sessions in the coming weeks to determine how to deal with this shortfall and is planning to make a recommendation to the PPS Office of School Modernization (OSM) and DAGs on May 11th. If we want to maintain the scope and schedule for the Lincoln rebuild, it’s time to engage. We’re sending this email to invite you to a planning session. We’ll meet on Thursday 4/19 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm at the NW Lucky Lab (1945 NW Quimby Street).

Here’s a summary of the information we have on the budget shortfall:

– In total, the shortfall on the 2017 bond is currently estimated to be between $89 million and $136 million. (see attached photo of the 2017 bond table – this was a handout from the PPS CFO at the 4/10 Board work session). Add $10 million to both of these, since the Board voted on 4/10 to put the current $10 million shortfall for middle school implementation on the 2017 bond.

– The “Local School Reconciliation” scenario for Lincoln reduces the student enrollment capacity by 8%.
What exactly needs to happen in the next three weeks? We’ll discuss at our planning session, but major tasks are to:

1) Solidify our goals and messaging

2) Attend Board work sessions

3) Testify at Board meetings

4) Meet with Board members

5) Write emails to Board members and encourage many others to do the same

If you can’t attend a meeting this week but are interested in staying updated on these efforts, please respond to this email (naomi_tsurumi@yahoo.com) and we’ll keep you updated.

Thanks,

Naomi and Mary

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Pamela Van Der Wolf will be at tomorrow’s PTA coffee in Room 6 at Main campus to answer questions on staffing and district budget process. Below is a list of answers she has prepared for the most common questions she has received. The district has also prepared a Powerpoint presentation on its new staffing model, which you can review here.

Q: Why are we losing the AP at our main campus?

A: The current enrollment numbers needed to receive an AP is 550. With both campuses combined, we are currently less than that, and we are projected to be at 522 next year, still quite below.

Q: Would we be able to increase our staffing if kindergartners moved to the main campus?

A: Actually, our staffing would decrease. We would lose both AP positions, as well as all of our kindergarten EAs. While this is not a reason to keep our kindergarten program at the Ramona, this is a rumor that has been circulating that I want to make sure is cleared up.

Q: Then why are we keeping our kinders at the Ramona? Don’t we have enough space at the main campus?

A: I don’t know all of the factors that were considered when the powers that be made this decision, but I do know that one of them is that the district has projections that show our enrollment going up again within a couple of years. I will continue to communicate the needs of Chapman with my senior director and assistant superintendent and they will then communicate that to the district’s space utilization committee.

Q: The student numbers for classrooms seem unusually large at Chapman. Is this happening elsewhere?

A: The caps are the same for every elementary school in PPS, and many other schools are experiencing large classroom sizes similar to ours. Caps on class sizes, however, are not static, and often change from year to year.

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For those of you who are new to the district or not sure how PPS board meetings operate, here’s some news you may be able to use for tonight’s meeting:

If you are planning to attend the meeting and have questions, please contact parents Molly Porter or Veery Harper. The meeting is at PPS headquarters at 501 N. Dixon. Public comment should start at 7 p.m. but keep in mind that seating and parking will likely be tough to find by then. Public comment spots are secured in advance – it is not an ‘open mike’ situation. Molly will be speaking tonight on behalf of Chapman and she will appreciate your presence and support. The back of the room is open, so you may leave without being too disruptive at any time.

There is a private, parent-administered group on Facebook called “N/NE PPS enrollment balancing discussion group” that often provides a live blog of PPS board meetings by a parent. You’ll need to request an add just like our Friends of Chapman group page. There is a high level of passionate parent engagement on this page, so if you feel inclined to comment, please know that you are representing not just yourself, but our school community in the context of a broader, district-wide discussion space.

Finally, remember that tonight is Dining night at the NW Pok Pok! Given our issues with budget cuts, every dollar counts, right?

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Next Friday’s PTA coffee (right after round up) will be devoted to a discussion on staffing and budget cuts that have been announced for Chapman. Principal Van Der Wolf will be there to answer questions and hear parent concerns and feedback.

If you are unable to attend the coffee and/or would like to send a question or comment in advance, please add to this google document. We’ll try to have someone take notes on the discussion and post afterwards.

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We’ve added nine new students since January to our Chapman community, with concentration of new students at the first grade.

Eric Gerding from the Lincoln High School Design Advisory Group (DAG) presented an update on the process and answered questions from parents on the status of the project. Expected completion is now Fall 2023. Design workshop open house will be on April 21.

We’ve added another $25K grant to the total raised for playground.

Auction planning in full swing and in serious need to volunteers. Slightly different format this year – new venue, no tables.

PTA board openings for 2018-19 will be: President, Vice-President, and Secretary. Please reach out if you or someone you know would be interested in those positions.

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5th grade parents, please note the following from Cherie Kinnersley, West Sylvan Principal:

Our team will be reaching out to the elementary schools and 5th graders over the next few weeks to forecast for electives. You will get more detailed information next week, it is always available on our homepage (https://www.pps.net/Domain/160). Students will actually be forecasting the week of January 30th – February 2nd, for that reason we have movedthe coffee talk to Monday Jan. 29th at 9:30am in the West Sylvan Library. This will allow you to learn more about the electives at the start of the process, ask questions and have the opportunity for your student to attend as well.

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The auction is quickly approaching and we need volunteers to help secure donations from our local community. Stop by Room 6 to hear more about procurement and what it takes to make our auction a success.

This is a great fit for parents who would need/prefer a flexible volunteer opportunity and have a sales, marketing or service-oriented background, but really, anyone who is willing and able to send an email, make a phone call or stop by a business is qualified to help!

A special shout out to parent Azure Attoe – our first [and so far, only!] parent to sign up for this important job! If you will have a child at Chapman next year, please consider joining her to ensure that kids and teachers will have the staffing support, enrichment programs and events, outreach and staffing help made possible only through our community ‘s generous support.